Do you know why you're here?
If you have been pointed to this page, it is not because someone is mad at you, but rather because we want to curb your posting habits before people start ignoring your posts.

Online forums are great, plain and simple. They are full of people who both ask and answer questions, and it's answers that all new posters seem to be after. I certainly know that it was the motivating reason for me to join my first one. Even better, these forums are free. And therein lies our issue...

Every individual who responds to your posts is a volunteer, and is trying to help you in their own free time. That is something that needs to be both recognized and respected. "Sure", you say, "I respect that", but you've been pointed here because you've cross posted somewhere, not told us, and been busted. Rest assured that you are not alone, and that there was enough instances that I built a page so that my friends and I do not need to keep re-typing why this is an issue. This is not intended as a lecture, and if you make it to the bottom, you'll even see that I am truly trying to help you.

So What's the Big Deal?
First, let me make it clear that neither I, nor the person who pointed you here, has an issue with cross posting, so long as it is done correctly. If you feel that you get more experts pointed to your posts, then fine. What we are asking for, however, is the courtesy of knowing about it. Why? Well it's kind of simple really. If you post on several boards, you have several groups of people working on the same issue, without necessarily knowing what the others are doing.

Ask yourself this: How would you feel if you worked on an answer for an hour, only to find out that fifteen minutes after you started, someone already had a solution they accepted? I'd be willing to bet you'd be a little upset that you'd wasted your time.

Yes, I know that you are only trying to get an answer, but seriously evaluate what you've done. Would you go and pay four different experts to generate solutions and then pick the best one? Well maybe you would, but if that is your approach, ask for their Paypal accounts up front and pay for it.

Lest you choose to just flat out ignore my advice, YOU will be the one being ignored. News of chronic cross posters travels quickly, and you may find yourself with no replies at any forum. Remember that the online community is both larger and smaller than you think. Many people transcend boards, and are staunch about protecting their efforts and the efforts of their friends who don't.

Trust me on this: post at a board, and people will see it. I know for certain that my online friends will even "call" an expert to another board if they need their expertise to help out. We will do our best to look after you, no matter what board we post on... providing that you are courteous to us in return.

How to Post and When to Cross-Post
Admittedly, some posts do go without answers, and this is where the cross post can be beneficial. Just do it in the right way! My suggestion, for what it's worth, is to follow this series of events:

Find one forum and stick with it, preferably a very busy one so you reach a bigger audience. If you don't get a satisfactory answer in a reasonable amount of time (days, not hours), then:

Post in another applicable forum with your issue (1 or 2 other forums, not 20!).

Include a link to your original post (see below).

Make it very obvious that you have not got an answer to your question and are looking for more experts.

Ask people to post their replies in the original forum.

When it is solved, go back and mark it as such in all forums so that we're not chasing solved issues.

How to post a link:
On every forum I go to, the format to do this is the same, no matter which bulletin board software they use. I'm sure there will be some different, but for the majority, the steps to posting your link is as follows:

Copy the URL (address) from your web browser.

Enter it as text in your post as follows: [url]the url goes here[/url]

i.e.[url]http://www.excelguru.ca/forums/showthread.php?259[/url]

That's it!

Basically, that's all. Follow the golden rule of treating us how you'd like to be treated, and you'll do just fine. Forums are incredible places with many awesome and giving people volunteering their time an expertise for free. Treat them with respect, and you'll get all the free help and training you need in return.

Thanks for reading!

I'm afraid that you must be logged in to comment or leave a testimonial. I wish it could be otherwise, but I'm trying to keep my site spam free for everyone's benefit. If you don't yet have an account it's completely free to sign up, and a very quick process. Simply click here to Register. Not only can you post a comment here, but it gives you full access to posts questions in our forum as well!

If you already have an account, and just haven't logged in yet, what are you waiting for? Login Now!

I agree with everything here. I only wish a new member had the ability to comply. I came to these forums searching for help I was unable to get after a week at another location. Until I make five posts here, I'm not able to post any links. While I do understand the need to limit a spambot's ability to post ad links on your forums, I do not understand if a new member is expected to post 5 random posts and then ask their question with a link or perhaps we should circumvent the 5 post requirement and post our question with a broken link so the system will allow it?

I really do not wish to sound rude or like a "smart @ss", I just feel these expectations place new members in a catch22 of sorts.

1 - There is no annoying about cross-posting SINCE the author stick to the ethical value of to SAY it (like, "Hey, i'm looking on another foruns too... here the links: link1, link2, link3... " AND BROADCAST the solution in ALL of the posts in ALL foruns.

2 - Have you already wonder that following this principle EVERYONE in EVERY forum will have contact with the solution, and as follows, will have more input to the their acknowledgment.

I think this principle is far way better. Otherwise, someone can be handcuffed in one forum fearing to 'cross-post' on another one (and yeahh! the answer could be there, in this other one! =P)

Someone directed me here because I port the same question to different platforms.

There are several forums Separate and Independent from each other, and their readers are not completely same.
Why I cannot post the same question into different platforms freely?
I STILL cannot understand this point well.

For example, in real life,
If I want to ask something to my friends, I will ask to many of my friends, and after that, if someone knows the answer he/she tells me.
Here we are doing the same. Asking in several platforms, Because READER of all forums are NOT the SAME !
If we somebody knows the answer he/she will answer. That's very understandable I guess.

(But posting the same question in THE SAME FORUM under different titles is cross-posting. I AGREE. Because it is sending same question to the same reader group again and again. And it is wasting time of people. I AGREE THIS)

IF you have enough patience to listen some opposite ideas,
I must say that I cannot agree your "Cross-Post" definition :

1)
I DON'T AGREE that I should not post my question in different platforms/forums of Internet freely.
You can only own your platform and everybody can be responsible from their own area only.

Nobody is the owner of whole internet world.
It is a FREE platform, and I can ask my question to many different people in the world as much as I ca and I want.

It is my FREEDOM to ask to many people.
It is people's FREEDOM to answer or not to answer.

Nobody is owner of internet.
And asking to many people is not a bad thing.

2)
Additionally I DON'T AGREE your reason as well,
You wrote here ".........If you post on several boards, you have several groups of people working on the same issue....." & "......seriously evaluate what you've done........"

Sorry but this is not realistic explanation;1- I am not requesting from anybody TO WORK FOR ME. Come on! This is just a forum page.
I just want their simple hint in case they know the answer.2- Nobody will work for me for hour or hours -unless if I don't pay and buy a service for this purpose-3- Forums are only simple sharing places -as you may know better than me- . It is not right to exaggerate it.

3)
Somebody tells that "I waste people's time if I post the same question in different forums".

But what is the logic of this?
They are different forums, different platforms..right?
Their readers are not always same..right?
Then what is the problem here..?

If we want ONLY ONE FORUM on internet,
If we want NO QUESTION REPEAT on Internet,

THEN I SUGGEST TO ALL FORUM OWNERS WHO IS TALKING ABOUT CROSS-POST:

- COME TOGETHER UNDER ONE DOMAIN or ONE FORUM
Why did you make many different platforms for Excel forums?
Can you tell me this?
It is wasting our time also to search many different forums !

OR if you cannot do that, AT LEAST,

- Combine USER LOGIN INFOs (So we can login to all forums with only ONE REGISTRATION)
- And I suggest you "Mirror All Threats of other forums in your forums"

Can you do these above?

I guess NO.

If you are not doing these,
then please don't try to take our FREEDOM from us for asking our questions to people as much as we can.

If subject is WASTING TIME;
Every forum is using our (visitors') time;
- By SEPARATE registration process
- By SEPARATE confirmation for registration approval
- By SEPARATE login process

After we give this time to each separate forum,
Sorry but I think we have rights to ask our question to the READERs of THAT FORUM !

This is my opinion.

Although I don't agree your definition about cross-post , I respect to your opinion.
I hope you can do the same, and think once more about my suggestions above, before immediately reacting as gross-posting".

There are several forums Separate and Independent from each other, and their readers are not completely same.
Why I cannot post the same question into different platforms freely?
I STILL cannot understand this point well.

It is quite simple to understand if you post on 4 forums, you have 4 responders, they have given basically the same answer you have wasted 3 responders time because if they had seen the first posters answer then then they wouldn't have thought about written and posted their answers.

Originally Posted by damlays

For example, in real life,
If I want to ask something to my friends, I will ask to many of my friends, and after that, if someone knows the answer he/she tells me.

and then when they find out you have asked the same question and got the same answer they say "didn't you believe me when I said it?" or another might say "I spend 3 hours looking up that answer when you already knew it what a waste of my time"

Originally Posted by damlays

(But posting the same question in THE SAME FORUM under different titles is cross-posting. I AGREE. Because it is sending same question to the same reader group again and again. And it is wasting time of people. I AGREE THIS)

Actually it isn't "cross-posting", it is posting a "duplicate thread". If you actually read the forum rules in the forums you are posting in you would know this.[/quote]

Originally Posted by damlays

I DON'T AGREE that I should not post my question in different platforms/forums of Internet freely.
You can only own your platform and everybody can be responsible from their own area only.

As you state they own (and pay for) their forum/platform and so they decide their rules, if you don't like or agree with their rules don't post there... find a site that you can agree with their rules and then everyone is happy.

Originally Posted by damlays

I am not requesting from anybody TO WORK FOR ME. Come on! This is just a forum page.
I just want their simple hint in case they know the answer.
Nobody will work for me for hour or hours -unless if I don't pay and buy a service for this purpose.
Forums are only simple sharing places -as you may know better than me- . It is not right to [/COLOR]exaggerate it..

They aren't exaggerating it, people spend their time working out an answer, some times short times but other times many hours trying to help people and they are giving their time freely. You should respect this and at the very least try not to waste their time.

Originally Posted by damlays

Somebody tells that "I waste people's time if I post the same question in different forums".

But what is the logic of this?
They are different forums, different platforms..right?
Their readers are not always same..right?

Yes, THAT IS the issue. Again....
It is quite simple to understand if you post on 4 forums, you have 4 responders, they have given basically the same answer you have wasted 3 responders time because if they had seen the first posters answer then then they wouldn't have thought about written and posted their answers.

Originally Posted by damlays

Why did you make many different platforms for Excel forums?
Can you tell me this?

As you stated they are different forums probably started because they either didn't like the rules or moderation.
[QUOTE=damlays;20383]

Originally Posted by damlays

It is wasting our time also to search many different forums !

Of course it doesn't you are free to not search them and not ask questions

Originally Posted by damlays

If you are not doing these, then please don't try to take our FREEDOM from us for asking our questions to people as much as we can.

What nonsense nobody is trying to take your FREEDOM from you but you need to show respect as well.

Originally Posted by damlays

If subject is WASTING TIME;
Every forum is using our (visitors') time;
- By SEPARATE registration process
- By SEPARATE confirmation for registration approval
- By SEPARATE login process

Again no-one has forced you to go on the forums you have chosen to go on multiple forums and do all the above.

After we give this time to each separate forum,
Sorry but I think we have rights to ask our question to the READERs of THAT FORUM !

Originally Posted by damlays

This is my opinion.

Although I don't agree your definition about cross-post , I respect to your opinion.
I hope you can do the same, and think once more about my suggestions above, before immediately reacting as gross-posting".

Yep, read them all, disagree with most but they are your opinion but at the end of the day it boils down to all Forums have their rules (as they are entitled to have as their owners pay for them).
If you don't like or agree with the rules then don't post there and find a forum where you can agree with their rules then everybody is happy.

Just to be clear most forums if you read their rules allow cross-posting as long as you provide a link to the other threads.
The only reasons I can think for not providing a link is a lack of respect for the people trying to help you or laziness.